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Mortality rate THE mortality rate in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals is causing concerns, and care plan- ning and capacity issues are being investigated. However, the GP-led NHS West


Dogs’ day out GP cluster planwarning


KENT Life stages its annual Family FunDog Showon Sunday, June 24. The event features classes in-


Kent CCG heard there had been a month-by-month improvement in the summer. The introduction of seven-day working had improved the situation forweekend deaths. A new mortality review system introduces “a duty of candour to relatives”. Investigation into deaths is now mandated for the hospital trust.


763936 or go www.kentlife.org.uk.


Care home GPs ALL GP practices in Maidstone and West Kent will be eligible to deliver wider services for residents in care homes and the CCG has approved enhanced payments to cover costs. The services will include: a geri-


Music day out THE East Farleigh Fete de la Musique takes place on June 23 and features theOld School Samba Band as the opening act. There is an afternoon ofmusic as


atric assessment on admission; a weekly GP “home round”; and en- hanced reviews after hospital at- tendance or admission.


well as stalls, food, games and pony rides and fun. It takes place between 1pm and


CCG now good THE annual NHS assessment per- formance now rates the GP-led NHS West Kent Clinical Commis- sioning Group as good. Previously it was assessed as “needs improv- ing”.


5pmat the East Farleigh recreation ground in Vicarage Lane.


Village groups THE Tuesday lunch club meets every week at Kingswood Village Hall, from 12.15-1pm. All are wel- come. The Kingswood Whist Group follows at 2pm. For details, call Ron Kemp on 01622 843536.


cluding: the waggiest tail; best six legs; fancy dress; best child han- dler, dog the judge would like to take home and Kent Life’s cham- pion dog. There’s a chance to take part in


the agility course and browse doggy-related stalls between classes. Entry is £1 per class. Call 01622


to


AWARNING has been given that patients of localGPpractices which do not join the newGPcluster sys- temmaynot receive the same range of services as those who do. It comes from Dr BobBowes, long- standing chairman of the budget- holding GP-led NHS West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). So far 75% of about 60 practices in Maidstone and West Kent are in- volved in cluster discussions. The plan is for seven clusters covering central Maidstone (7 practices), East Maidstone (11),Weald (15), Malling


(6) plus Tonbridge, TunbridgeWells and Sevenoaks. The CCG plans to support prac-


SOAP starRichardBlackwood has been named as the star of this year’s pantomime at the Hazlitt Theatre inMaidstone.. Richard (45),who has an impres-


GPS are unlikely to prescribe medicines which can be bought from pharmacies, supermarkets and other retailers. Savings will be redirected to other NHS serv- ices.The GP-led budget-holding West Kent CCG has approved the principle of creating a restricted list of over-the-counter medicines that should not be routinely prescribed. The cost of these medicines is esti- mated at more than £2m per year. Patients will also be encouraged to self care for minor ailments and common conditions and seek ad- vice from pharmacists, saving


Prescriptions under review Birth concerns WEST Kent CCG says it has iden- tified an increase in the number of serious incidents reported by Maid- stone and Tunbridge Wells hospi- tals’ maternity department. The department is now being in-


sive range of talents as an actor, co- median and rapper, will be treading the boards in Maidstone fromDecember 1 to 31. He plays the genie inAladdin. In 2015, he joined the cast of


EastEnders as the mysterious Vin- cent Hubbard, but recently an- nounced hewas leaving the soap. Hazlitt general manager Martin


Cleverly said: “The Hazlitt The- atre’s 2018 programme is full of bigger and better productions in comparison to years gone by, so it couldn't let things slipwhen it came to the celebrity of its in-house pan- tomime. “Richard Blackwood will be a


fantastic member of the cast and part of a production that promises to entertain, delight and wow the visiting crowds.” TheHazlitt faced competition last


will offer extended hours (including some weekend work), wider serv- ices, teams of nurses and allied health professionals, co-ordinated care and back office and estate effi-


about 20% of GP time. These ail- ments include diarrhoea, constipa- tion, athlete’s foot, fever, cold sores, teething, nappy rash, mouth ulcers, haemorrhoids, oral and vaginal thrush, head lice, insect bites and stings, conjunctivitis, contact der- matitis, sore throat, , indigestion and heartburn, ear wax, warts and verrucaes, soft tissue injury, sca- bies, ring worm, mild acne, minor burns and scalds. In a survey 85% of people receiving such free pre- scriptions said they would buy them from a pharmacy if their GP asked them to.


while, is a talentedguy andhasdone a lot of different things in his career, so his following is quitewide.We’re hoping that his wide appeal across all age ranges will make him a big drawfor local people. “He is, by all accounts a likeable


and easy-going kind of guy, so he’s perfect for a family audience. “We’re very excitedandwe’llhave


other announcements tomake as the summer progresses. “We’re hoping that this year’s


Christmas from another panto being staged in the county town. Last year’sCinderella production


– which starred TV chef and na- tional favourite Rustie Lee – was hailed a success, despite another production being staged close by at another venue inMaidstone. A Hazlitt spokesman said: “Richard is a bit of a coup for us and


vestigated in depth. In June, the hospital trust re- ported an increase in Caesarean section births and 3rd/4th degree tear rates. TheCCGsays “further assurance


panto can build on the success of Cinderella, which was very well re- ceived.” Meanwhile, the PeterAndre show


has sold out. Talks are being held in an effort to


is required in a number of areas, in- cluding safety and information governance”. The Care Quality Commission is also investigating.


arrange an additional date for the singer inMaidstone after tickets for his appearance in June sold out. The Hazlitt says consideration is


being giventopotentiallyputting on another showinOctober.


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tices to ‘co-operate, collaborate and combine’ to integrate out-of- hospital care and deliver services at scale. Practice mergers could also be supported. The aim is that practices will maintain their identities and re- lationships with their patients. Clusters, with more GPs available,


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EastEnders star to play Hazli’s big panto part


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ciencies. The CCG will also prioritise and consider investment in new prem- ises where there is a need. The CCG says nothing has been defined yet on seven-day 8am-8pm working for practices and there is plenty of scope for collaboration in delivering extended hours. The focus is on consistency for patients and the key area is Saturday morn- ing access. Seven-day service is seen as a ‘natural direction of travel’ but the bestway to deliver for local peo- ple and professionals has still to be decided.


judging by the reaction so far, it is going down verywell. “He has been around for quite a


News


Get your free shingles jab


MAIDSTONE and Malling resi- dents in their 70s are being urged to take up the offer of free vacci- nations against the “painful and debilitating” condition shingles. By the end of July, just over half


of all eligible older patients in Kent and Medway had been vaccinated. But theNHSis now encouraging


Pupils come face to face with life in the country


everyonewhois offered the vaccine to take it up. Local GP practices are offering patients the vaccination as part of the NHS shingles immunisation campaign for 2017/18, which began on September 1 2017. Dr John Rodriguez, Public Health Screening and Immunisa- tion lead for Kent and Medway, urged local people to take up the offer. He added: “As people get older


their immune system naturally weakens which is why those aged 70 and over are more likely to get shingles.


and debilitating and lead to health problems long after the initial rash has disappeared. It can also be fatal for around one in 1,000 over-70s who develop it. “I would encourage all patients


School in Maidstone described the event as “well-organised,with every childreturning to classhaving learnt something new”. The headat StHelen’sMontessori


“Shingles can be very painful


whoare eligible to takeupthe offer from their GP surgery and get vac- cinated against the virus.”


School, Jeannelle Dening-Smither- man, said “The children all thor- oughly enjoyed the experience and


YOUNG students from schools acrossMaidstone found out about farming and where their food comes from at the Living Land event atDetling. Pupils from Archbishop Courte-


nay Primary School; St Helen’s Montessori School, East Farleigh; West Borough Primary School and Madginford Primary School were among 2,824 children from 48 schools to support this year’s event. Childrenwere able to learn about


local produce bymaking apple juice and butter and trymilking a cow. They alsomet lambs, goats, chicks


and horses.Displays of vintage and modern tractors showed howmuch farming has changedover the years. Teachers from West Borough


THE widow of a popular Maid- stone GP is in training for a self- funded trek through the Grand Canyon, in aid of the charity which is battling the cancer that claimed him. Kate Minett, a staff nurse, will be


travelling to America for the Trek Together Grand Canyon Challenge in October. Kate who lives in Staplehurst,


will hike through areas of the canyon not accessible to many tourists to raise money for Pancre- atic Cancer UK. The Benenden Hospital nurse has chosen to support the charity be- cause her husband, Dr Nigel Minett (54), a GP for more than 20 years at the Marden Medical Centre, then The Orchard Surgery in Langley, succumbed to it in January 2012, just over 10 weeks after he was di- agnosed. Dr Minett (pictured) was well-known for his church work in Maidstone. She said: “This cancer is known


as a silent killer as it usually pres- ents too late for any form of treat- ment. On October 31, 2011, my


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Kate’s canyon trek in memory of husband


rates from pancreatic cancer have not improved much in the last 30 years. Nigel died on January 19, 2012. I had been thinking about what I could do to celebrate Nigel’s life and decided to join the Pancre- atic Cancer UK Grand Canyon Challenge Trek in October. I am self-funding the trip to ensure that all donations go directly to the charity.” This is the third big fundraiser


Drug factory


CCTV images have been re- leased of three men that police believe can help themwith their investigations into a Maidstone cannabis factory. Over 140 cannabis plants and


Children fromSt Helen’sMontessori School at the Living Land exhibition


askedif they couldgo again the next day!” The Living Land event is held an-


nually at theKent Showground and is free to all schools in Kent. It aims to educate schoolchildren


in years three and four about farm- ing, agriculture, the countryside and healthy eating. Living Land is now in its 15th


husband was admitted to hospital after developing jaundice. Until that point, his only symptoms had been a few weeks of mild gastric discomfort. He was diagnosed the same day with stage four metasta- tic pancreatic cancer, which had spread to his liver. “We knew the score - survival


year. A spokesman said: “Most of the activities are interactive, with a wealth of organisations on hand to share their knowledgewith the chil- dren and can easily be linked to the school curriculum. “The educational experience is in-


valuable and taking pupils away fromthe normal classroomenviron- ment enhances the ability to learn.”


the family has taken part in. Kate’s daughter, Laura, took part in a su- perhero fun run dressed as Super- man in 2012, raising over £2,000, and her sister Rebecca organised a dinner dance in Tenterden which raised £10,300 in 2015. In the UK, pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of the 21 most com- mon cancers. Pancreatic CancerUK supports those affected, investing in research and lobbying for recog- nition of the disease. For details visit www.justgiv- ing.com/fundraising/Kate-Minett. For more information on Pancre- atic Cancer UK, visit www.pan- creaticcancer.org.uk/fundraise.


equipmentwere seized at an ad- dress in Bank Street on Decem- ber 28. Since then, investigations have been ongoing to establish whowas running the factory. Now CCTV images of three


men have been released. If you have any information, call Kent Police on 01622 604100, reference YY/76/18, orKentCrimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


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